1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for performing surgical tasks. In particular, the disclosure relates to disposable loading units (DLUs) configured for mounting to a robotic arm and having at least one automatically actuated surgical tool for performing a surgical task.
2. Description of Related Art
Accurate and precise manipulation of surgical instruments at or near a surgical site is required during surgical procedures, especially during minimally invasive procedures such as laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures. In laparoscopic and endoscopic surgical procedures, a small incision is made in the patient's body to provide access for a tube or cannula device. Once extended into the patient's body, the cannula allows insertion of various surgical instruments for acting on organs, blood vessels, ducts, or body tissue far removed from the incision site. Such instruments may include apparatus for applying surgical clips as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,084,057 and 5,470,006; apparatus for applying surgical staples as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,040,715 and 5,289,963; and apparatus for suturing body tissue as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,328.
In minimally invasive procedures, the ability to perform surgical tasks is complicated due to limited maneuverability and reduced visibility. Therefore, a need exists for an apparatus and a procedure that enables the remote actuation of surgical instruments during minimally invasive procedures in a consistent, easy and rapid manner.
In non-laparoscopic and non-endoscopic procedures, accurate and precise manipulation and operation of surgical instruments is also required. For example, in a transmyocardial vascularization (TMR) procedure, wherein holes are formed in the heart wall to provide alternative blood flow channels for ischemic heart tissue, careful advancement and control of a lasing or coring device is necessary to form holes in the ischemic areas of the heart tissue.
In other cardiovascular procedures such as laser angioplasty wherein an optical fiber is inserted and advanced into a patient's vasculature to apply laser energy to obstructions and/or restrictions typically caused by plaque build-up, precise manipulation and operation is also required. Both continuous wave and pulsed high energy lasers have been used to provide the vaporizing laser energy. Insuring the plaque is actually ablated and not just pushed aside is important to prevent or delay restenosis.
The advent of computer imaging systems have enabled surgeons to precisely position and map the direction of travel of a surgical instrument prior to the utilization of the instrument in the operation. For example, an imaging system can locate the exact location of a lesion within a patient and allocate X, Y and Z coordinates to that lesion in space. A coring device can then be manually advanced to that location to slice the distal flat end face of the core so that a complete specimen can be removed for biopsy.
Robotic systems have also been developed to aid a surgeon in precisely mounting and positioning surgical instruments to perform a surgical task. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,110 to Matsen, III et al. discloses an orthopedic saw guide for confining the blade of a surgical saw to movement in a single plane while allowing translational and rotational movement of the blade within the plane to facilitate the performance of a surgical bone alteration task. The saw guide is positioned relative to a patient's bone by a robot-aided system.
However, known robotic systems, such as the saw guide disclosed in the Matsen et al. '110 patent, are typically limited to specific surgical tasks and are not adaptive for performing a wide variety of surgical tasks. Therefore, there is a need for a robotic system for aiding a surgeon to perform a wide variety of surgical tasks.
Another disadvantage of known robotic systems having surgical application is that the surgeon is required to manually control the position and operation of the surgical instrument. For example, systems have been developed wherein the surgeon is fitted with a mechanism which translates the surgeon's movements into mechanical movements whereby servo motors are actuated to manipulate the surgical instrument. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,398 to Smith et al. discloses a robotic system having a pair of articulate robotic arms responsive to the surgeon's movements during the surgery. However, any error in the surgeon's movements results in undesired manipulation of the robotic arms. Therefore, a fully automatic robotic system for aiding a surgeon to perform a wide variety of surgical tasks would be advantageous.
Another disadvantage with known robotic systems is their inability to remotely operate a conventional surgical tool, such as an apparatus for applying surgical staples or an apparatus for suturing body tissue which is mounted to the robotic arm.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide disposable loading units (DLUs) configured for mounting to a robotic arm of a robotic system and having at least one surgical tool extending from one end for performing a surgical task. The DLU would be actuated by an actuation assembly operatively associated with the robotic arm for controlling the operation and movement of the DLU. The DLU would include an electro-mechanical assembly operatively associated with the actuation assembly for controlling the operation and movement of the surgical tool.